In Today’s Herald: Largest Drug Bust – Busted?

VIDEO’S POSTING MAY THREATEN CASE | Departments at odds?

The already-chilly relationship between the Lee County Sheriff’s Department and the Sanford Police Department may have taken a hit today. The lead story in today’s Herald tells of the largest drug bust in the county’s history – 2,400 pounds of marijuana with a street value of $5 million – made back in January. The Sheriff’s Department and federal drug enforcement officials made three arrests on January 25 after finding the pot stashed inside a trailer in a storage facility of White Hill Road, according to Gordon Anderson’s story in today’s edition.

We’ll have a follow-up story in Thursday’s edition.

The bust may be in jeopardy because, according to Gordon’s Wednesday story, it seems two members of the Sanford Police Department showed up at the scene, with one of them alleged to have filmed part of the operation. The video was subsequently posted on YouTube. An attorney for one of the men arrested wants the case dismissed because the video, which is considered evidence in the case, wasn’t disclosed.

Here’s the he said/she said part of the story: Sheriff Tracy Carter says the Sanford PD wasn’t invited to the party. Sanford Police Chief Ronnie Yarborough says his department was. There’s more to the story, obviously; for Anderson’s take on it, see his blog entry here.

The video was taken off the YouTube video-sharing website by the time we learned about it, and first saw it (a pirated copy, as I understand), back in March. Those involved in the case have been hesitant to discuss it because of the sensitive personnel nature of it. The officer who allegedly made the video has, we’re told, been separated from the police department, and officials don’t want the work involved in making the bust go for naught.

WRAL-TV obtained a copy of the video and ran with the story last night, which helped motivate local officials to discuss the case.

An interesting, and well-known, part of the backstory is that Yarborough supported Carter’s opponent in the sheriff’s race in 2006, former Chief Deputy Kevin Bryant, and eventually hired Bryant as a detective for his department. Bryant supporters, some of whom have “Dump Carter 2010″ bumper stickers on their cars, say he’ll run for the office again in two years. (Incidentally, Bryant’s wife, Carmen, told me last week in a telephone call she plans to run for the mayor’s seat.)

The history of animosity between Carter and Yarborough, and their respective supporters, goes back years – at least since Carter first sought the office in 2002. It’s been heightened since with the sheriff’s department’s drug enforcement work – the department has significantly increased the number (and dollar value) of drug seizures and arrests since Carter took office. Carter publicly downplays any rift, as does Yarborough, and of course the important thing is for both departments to continue to work to curb crime. They work together in many operations, particularly drug cases, so hopefully they’ll find a way to get past any negativities based on misunderstandings about this case.

Maybe it’ll be a stepping stone to better communication between the law enforcement agencies…

Time will tell. More visibe cooperative ventures between the two departments would do everyone a lot of good.

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37 Responses to In Today’s Herald: Largest Drug Bust – Busted?

If I may add my 2 cents … I think this county should consider consolidating county/city law enforcement (and local government for that matter). Would certainly put an end to the two agencies (which cover a relatively small area, land wise) stepping on each other’s toes.

The bumper stickers are available- just call and ask. I have one on my vehicle and proudly so. We taxpayers are getting stiffed by two drug units operating within a very small area and obviously not always working together. Our sheriff has politicize his office with his hires, some from out of the county. We pay for the transportation[new dodge charger] to and from Moore co. He has catered to those who gave him a bloc vote. Let me remind you that he only won by some 160 vote, about 1% margin. And I

support him but not anymore. His new budget request is 1.4 mil o5-o6 and personnel is 25% higher also. The commission can find the money for him but not repairs for LeeSr. Very interesting. Wake up voters.

Mr. liggett, your 2 cents adds up to a lot of dollars when tax payers look at what it cost to run two drug units, the publicity that sheriff carter was after (by having his own own drug unit) has a large price tag which adds up to a lot of tax dollars, the old unit both city and county made many drug bust that were so concrete that the Feds took them straight to Federal court I’m not sure but there has been few if any since 2007. This brings case in point Does Lee County need Two Drug Units? If the County Dog which the School Board was so willing to sell for a Dollar could earn his upkeep the Feds would have not called for the City Dog. PS. Jane Rae call me I’ll see you get the stickers.

Welcome to NC Billy. The constitution mandates that each county must have a sheriff and that sheriff has jurisdiction county wide. And he can use it in the city if he choses or needs to. I don’t know if you were around when shortly after taking office he busted the gambling casino right across the street from the courthouse that had obviously alluded both his predecessor and the the chief. Since the Sheriff’s office has been involved, the drug busts are up significantly.

As to cost, the facts are that the Sheriff’s drug unit is making money for the county. The unit was created by simply moving sheriff’s personnel from the old joint city county task force back to the command of the sheriff. Then, for the first time ever, the sheriff’s department began collecting back drug taxes, and their share of that money has been used to equip the unit. The suggestion that that there has been significant added cost to the tax payer on the sheriff’s part is just not accurate.

I assume the sheriff would be open to a joint task force under the direction of the sheriff. On the other hand I know he feels strongly that as the chief law enforcement officer in the county, he does not feel he can cede that responsibility to some one else.

Bill has done a good job of laying out the political involvement of the Sanford Chief of Police in the last two sheriff’s races, specifically the effort of Chief Ronnie Yarborough to defeat the now incumbent sheriff Tracy Carter. I have been waiting to see it laid out in print.

This raises a really interesting question–why would a professional, civil service-like police chief choose to embroil himself in a political issue like the election of a sheriff? The chief is not an elected official and has no professional basis for such high profile involvement. Why would his boss, the city manager, tolerate it? As noted in an earlier post, the constitution mandates the election of a sheriff so it is by definition a political office.

I don’t think that Sheriff Carter has ever complained that the Chief of Police hired his opponent. That hiring would not be much of a surprise given that the Chief must have had a very hard regard for him to get himself so entrenched in a political matter. Speaking of hiring, the Sheriffs in NC have complete freedom to hire and fire at will. About the same time that Ronnie Yarborough was hiring Kevin Bryant, Sheriff Carter was keeping the chief’s sister on the Sheriff’s office payroll, in fact moving her from a temporary to a permanent position four doors from his office. Doesn’t sound like much of a grudge match to me.

But back to the current controversy, it was the police department that took the unprofessional video and one of its personnel that posted it to YouTube. About those facts I don’t think there is any disagreement.

Keith must be too busy supporting his buddy to look at the increase in the sheriff’s budget.The 07/08 budget was $837,000 higher than the previous and when I went to school at Sanford Central they were still teaching math. Figures don’t lie but some people do.

If the sheriff just gets what has been recommeded in the 08/09 budget by the county manager , there will 11 more personnel or 25% more than when he took office. How can this not be costing us more or are they just volunteers?

Thank you Mr. Clark for “setting the record straight”. The Sheriff’s drug division was created from existing personnel. It did not cost the county taxpayer one dime. My research has also found that every single piece of their equipment came from drug funds, funds that used to go entirely to the city of Sanford. Yes Mr. Rickard, Carter only won by 1%. But consider this. He beat a democrat in a democratic county at a time when republicans were losing all over the country. He beat the sitting Chief Deputy (the incumbent by proxy). He was outspent almost THREE TO ONE. He was a “school crossing guard” with no real experience (or so they said) against the “chosen one” who was backed by all the “big wigs” in the county. He was not allowed to campaign at his job while his opponent was basically paid a full time salary and his very job was to campaign. I could go on and on. Despite all this, you are right, he only won by 1%. And you are not fooling anyone Mr. Rickard(s), EVERYONE in this county knows that you are not interested in the Sheriff’s budget or the drug unit. EVERYONE in this county has heard your whining about the “real reason” behind your complaints. From the average citizens that I hear from, I expect that 1% victory to be double digits in2010. Good luck with your crusade.

Mr. Liggett, I agree that “if” a fair and impartial plan to consolidate police functions were created, it might work. But call Chief Yarbourgh tomorrow and ask for his opinion. You will find out real fast why that plan is not an option.

to suggest that the county drug unit is self sufficient is a little absurd, there are more drug officers than just the number brought back from the joint unit. They didn’t wait till the money started to roll in to hit the road, speaking of hitting the road the cost of cars ,gas and countless hours these men put in far out weighs the “back taxes from drug bust, the monies that come from drug bust is mandated to be used for equipment for said drug unit, not salaries. by having two drug units in town and county a lot has been accomplished but the bottom line is Lee County is a small county and there is a lot of overlapping and it cost someone Us the Tax Payer. We know where your loyality lies, you helped a young man achieve his dream, somewhat like I story I heard about a man appointed to a job in Raliegh,where he sat in a chair atop a desk to prove I think a point, the point was you might get to the top, but you must know how to stay there.

To set the record really straigtht, I was one of those reg.democrats that supported Mr. Carter. We talked several times during that campaign and he was assured of my stance. Wrong #1 . If Mr. Goodman thinks the city got the money to spend as they please be informed that the Feds monitor and audit those funds. The money can only be spent legally on the drug unit. Mr. Goodman, just how many drug officers from the sheriff’s dept were on the combined unit and how many are there now. Mr. Holly was hired from Harnett County to head the current unit so he was not part of the existing staff. Wrong #2. As for my whinning, what would you do if you were told several times by Mr. Carter that your brother’s job was safe because he did a great job and then dismissed without any black marks on his personnel record after the new captain got his jail certification. I attended the sheriff’s open house on Dec.21 and was told by Tracey and Randall that my brother was needed but on Jan. 8 was told to clean out his desk. Did this have anything to do with his NEW captain or did they just need Carroll to train him. For your info I had 17 calls before I went to bed that night expressing dismay over the situation. Sour grapes,yes but I was lied to. Mr. Goodman you obviousy haven’t seen the proposed budget figures. Look them up as I have and you will find it has costs us plenty.

Mr. Rickard (s)……….gee whiz man, I’ve heard of arguing with a brick wall but this is ridiculous. Let me explain this one more time but S-L-O-W-E-R. Carter took the three drug agents from the CCDU and the two deputies from the target team and formed the county unit. Yes there are different PEOPLE in those slots but the POSITIONS were already there! NO COST TO THE COUNTY. And you are wrong about the drug money. I know what the SPD Chief and KB tell people but trust me when I tell you this. There are state monies and federal monies. And by your statements I can tell that you know absolutely nothing about what you are talking about. State drug monies can be spent on about anything, including salaries, equipment, training, community programs etc. Federal monies are a lot stricter and have more guidelines. But don’t take my word for it, call the North Carolina Department of Revenue, Unauthorized Substance Tax Division, and ask them. If you don’t want to call, give me your address and I will send you a copy of the actual regulation. (you see, unlike you, I have actually read it myself and have done my own research.)This is another one of those things that your buddies have told you that you bought hook, line and sinker, all because you are blinded by anger. The monies DO NOT have to be spent just on the drug unit. I know that the former Sheriff and the current police chief have told people this but I assure you, IT IS NOT TRUE. I don’t know if they(Bryant and Yarborough) tell people this so that they can keep a tighter control on the money(you know, don’t ask, don’t tell) or if they simply don’t understand the regulation themselves. Nevertheless, agencies all across this state fund personnel (yes salaries), buy cars for their patrol divisions, radio equipment for their communications/dispatch centers, even office equipment with state monies. Federal monies are usually limited to training and equipment. You talk about the budget and tell me to “look them up as I have”. Do you know that the Sheriff received more than $90,000.00 dollars in state drug tax monies and nearly $12,000.00 in Federal drug tax monies last year alone? Please “look up for yourself” the lengthy list of equipment that was purchased for the drug agents, the detectives, the CSI, and even the patrol division. Tens of Thousands of dollars of equipment purchased at NO COST TO THE TAXPAYER. And how about the production? The two units working apart have produced numbers that have NEVER been seen before in Lee County. NOT EVEN CLOSE! I’m not talking down SPD because I am told that they too last year had some pretty impressive numbers. And as for the budget, I am fully aware of what is in it. Lowell, I am told that you are a business man. If your business is neglected for years and production finally starts to drop you know that you may have to “re-invest” in new equipment, new training and new personnel to catch up with the times. You may have to put out some “start up cost”, but in the end the profits will return. This department was in SERIOUS need of all of the above just to get them into the 21st century. Carter told the public that he needed to “re-invest” in this department to get it where it needs to be. If you do not upgrade and maintain as you go along, what you have is what you see now at Lee Senior and what Carter found when he walked into that office on his first day. I don’t know what happened with your brother but you should not be giving false information and half truths just to justify your anger. If you want to tell your side of what happened to your brother then tell it but don’t discredit the hardworking men and women of the LCSO in the process. I am trying very hard to be as tactful as I can Mr. Rickard (s) but you guys really need to do a little homework before you get on this post and start throwing around numbers and “how money can be legally spent” when it is simply not true.

Mr. Goodman part of your statements I can agree with but look at the Lee co. budget and see for yourself. They are the official figures and they don’t lie so don’t continue to
try and convince me. Those numbers are beyond the grants and so call drug monies that come from the state or feds. Now we have covered just about all the issues except DEAD BEAT DADS and I don’t think either of us want to go there. If I bred em I supported em.
If you need a copy just stop by my office and I will GIVE you one and I think it would be a pleasure to meet you. Good luck.

Mr. Goodman I will gladly give you my address. Just give me yours and we can pen pals. I don’t really think your name is Goodman and am pretty sure who you really are since you know so much about everthing at the LCSD. By the way, those bumper stickers must provide protection. I have been escorted home on two occasions and my office parking lot serves as a good turning around for the sheriffs patrol according to my secretary who has a window and gives me a heads-up.

We’ll Mr. Rickard it’s quite clear that facts don’t interest you and you are right, it looks like we have covered all we need to say. I’ve got a lot of work to get back to but I have enjoyed the “spirited debate”. But before I go, I notice that you have plenty to say regarding personal attacks (you know what I mean) but you have very little to say about the issues we discussed above since I corrected your completely false and misleading information in your earlier post. And I do know a lot about the LCSO, as well as the SPD, the county and city budgets, the board of education,and all sort of current issues on the state and federal level. You see, I know what I am talking about before I speak. I am a student of history and current events, and I have dabbled in politics and public policies most of my adult life. And most people who study history are pretty good a predicting the future (in politics that is). And I am pretty sure that I know you too Mr. Rickard, because I have met many people just like you over the years and you are all one in the same. I wish you luck too sir, and I wish that you would set aside your negativity and join me in trying to do the right things for our community, just as Sheriff Carter is trying to do. Study history my friend, anger and personal attacks will not help you.It only makes YOU look foolish, just like today after the readers of this post now know that your above information was false and that YOU do not know what YOU are talking about. If you will not join me, Mr. Rickard, than by all means please continue with your crusade, for I am sure that for every vote you take away from Carter, you will give him two. I am quite sure also that if your brother was still employed by Carter, you would have no problem with the budget or the addition of manpower. People see through your phony attacks. If you are so angry and have all the answers, why don’t YOU run for Sheriff or the County Board? If you did sir, I highly suspect (from what I hear) that your attempt at election would be very similar to my friend Butch Johnson. That being that he too thought a lot more of himself than did the people that knew him. So I bid you farewell Mr. Rickard(s),I shall see you at the polls in 2010 (or next year if you live in the city, I can hardly wait for the Mayors race that I heard about from Horner’s blog).

P.S. To all the reader’s of this blog: I will post in the next day or two a name and phone number to the North Carolina Department of Revenue in Raleigh so that if any of you are interested in knowing the truth about these drug taxes, you may call for yourselves.

I appreciate infinte knowledge that you have gleaned from your spotlight behind the political scenes. Iam not conviencedof you are Goodman but some who has worked very closely with Tracy in both elections and actually spent a short time during the first few week of his term. I actually know who you are and where you are coming from. You have your reasons and I have mine and we both will work very hard for our own agendas. Hope to see you Monday nite at the open meeting.

To consolidate isn’t a knock at the sheriff’s department or the police department. I frankly don’t think either one is “better’ than the other, nor do I feel one “needs to go.”
I just think for a county this size, it’s overkill to have two law enforcement offices. There’s no political undertones in that assessment.

I come from a similarly-situationed county (parish) in Louisiana, Lafayette Parish. Lafayette is by far the bulk of that parish, and it is run by one consolidated government and one consolidated police force. Sure, it has its problems (who doesn’t?) but cost-wise, it’s the best thing for that area.

There are many in this county who would support some sort of consolidated plan. But I don’t think you have been here long enough to grasp the “reasons” why this is not going to happen. When you have a Police Chief that has been here for 37 years and has pretty much controlled everything until the current Sheriff came, it is not going to work. There is a reason that someone coined the phrase “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. I think that in 3-5 years when some of these “old dogs” decide to move on, it might be possible to get something done that is actually good for the citizens. The biggest problem with your idea is that it makes COMMON SENSE. I was born and raised here Mr. Liggett and I can tell you that in the last few years, common sense has no place here…..

You should know then Happy, that a ruling by the US Supreme Court excluded the NC law because it was designed as a “excise” tax and is a civil penalty, not a criminal punishment and therefore is not “double jeopardy”. The NC drug tax has been upheld many times. The problem with most of the other states was the law as it was written was flawed, or was in some way designed as a punishment and attached to the criminal proceedings. If you live in one of those other 22 states, you may have a case, but not here. If the US Supreme Court thought it to be illegal, why would they not strike it down instead of “encourage” the states to take action? Is this going to be the topic of your next squad room blackboard rant? Confucius once say “man who hate law enforcement so bad may find employment at wal-mart soon”.

For clarification, the 5th amendment (self incrimination clause) is violated via a drug tax when it is prior to arrest and conviction. Following an arrest and conviction, the double jeopardy clause take affect.

You still have not answered the question. If it is unlawful, why has the NC law been upheld and not struck down by SCOTUS after many, many challenges? For clarification, why do you have to pay taxes on your property when you have not been charged with any criminal offense? In your line of work, I’m sure you understand the difference between criminal and civil. This is the jist of the whole program. You are being taxed on property or the sale of goods. It has nothing to do with the criminal case. As a matter of fact, the courts have ruled that even if your criminal drug case is thrown out due to unlawful search, it has no bearing on the civil penalty (trust me on this, call Chip Post or John Silverman, they have been arguing this for years to no avail). Now, if you want to talk about taxes in this country, You may find that I agree with you on many points. In a criminal trail, you have the right to remain silent. In a civil deposition, you can be compelled to testify against yourself. Just ask O.J. This is why the NC law does not violate the US Constitution.

Yes I am aware of the “civil” loophole. Other states have copied NC in that regard. The Fed does the same with the income tax, by declaring it an excise tax on how much of the fed’s property we use, being that the United States is actually a corporation, another loophole for regulations around the US Constitution (Reconstruction & Legislation acts) Property taxes are another matter. Unfortunately, imminent domain has wiped away allodial title on real property. Several states still have it, Texas and NV I think. With allodial title there is sole ownership, no co-ownership by the state, thus no property taxes or regulations. It all comes down to who controls the smoke and how many mirrors there are.

BTW, I love my job very much and am very proud to work under a really intelligent and ambitious man. Don’t misread my intention. I also love my education in philosophy, and the quotes are my way of expressing that. I am still and will continue to learn the legal system. It is a passion of mine. I find it fascinating. My love for the Constitution is strong and I am always seeking knowledge of it. It pains me to see the efforts bad people in government have made to undermine it. There is nothing wrong at all with me studying Constitutional Law, it’s history or any political Science. How many officers do you know who seek knowledge of the very constitution they sware an oath to?

I know we will never return to a Republic and that we are headed for corporate socialism and soft fascism. There are so many things going on behind the scenes that scare me, like the North American Union, or false flags to propagate new legislation to undermine more civil liberties. Is it best for me just to watch FOX?

Ahh…….yes. Its all the fault of Fox news. Have you ever heard of “the fairness Doctrine” in the news media? If you have not, I encourage you to look it up ASAP. You should also know that the fairness doctrine is being pushed very hard by social liberals and they have publicly stated that if it is revived, one of its first targets will be Fox News. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no fan of right wingers, but this doctrine is a much bigger threat to your civil liberties than misguided tax laws. I would ask you not to misread my intentions also. I would say that you and I would probably agree on more than we disagree. But I tend to believe that you have to work with what you have and while not perfect, our system of government is far better than most on planet earth. You talk a lot about civil liberties. While I believe that we are born with certain rights, who protects those rights? If there were no government at all, who would you call when your rights were violated? Look around the world at other governments and compare them with the USA. We are (and be honest with me here) a nation that loves to complain. We demand our rights but deny any responsibilities. It is very easy to get caught up in philosophy and theory, there’s nothing wrong with that. As a matter of fact, I sort of engage in a little philosophy myself from time to time. But I understand that theory and application are two completely different animals. I totally agree with you regarding our republic. But you must understand that our course is being directed by the masses, not by some small group of Fox News watchers. Our course is set in part (not totally) by people who believe that the government is here to serve them, and protect them and to protect their rights without any obligation. I do not. Our society is too busy watching American Idol to get involved. And as for Fox News, at least now there are choices. When I was growing up, all there was on TV was Dan Rather. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions about that.

I agree with everything you said, especially the US system being the best, lack of responsibility in the people and being guided by the masses. Very true. I am not anti-government at all. Some come to think that. I am anti-BIG government. Democracies have always failed in the past via the people internally bankrupting themselves by abusing the power of the vote via the treasury.

I don’t want to vent on the corporate media, especially FOX, the worst I think. Don’t watch it. hehe Always do your own research of whats going on in the world, Fox will mislead you.

WE THE PEOPLE have the power to change the system. People need to be informed and inspired. Unfortunately, there are to many people, not enough resources and a suppression of truth. The welfare state has got to ease up. Either the Democrats want your money or the Republicans want your thoughts. Can you tell I’m Libertarian. hehe BTW, the founders were philosophers, more so than politicians. Research it.

I don’t like comparing modern times to our founding fathers. That sounds bad but what I mean is that they lived in a very different time and mindset than we do. The worst thing back then was a guy going crazy with a musket and killing a couple folks before he was stopped. Today, We have to worry about that same guy getting his hands on a weapon that could kill thousands or even millions. It may be true that most of them were philosophers but most of them were also slave owners. Get my point? I totally agree with you on the media. The only thing about Fox news is that at least they will admit they are conservative while most of the others pretend they are mainstream but are primarily liberal. And talk about misleading. Remember Dan Rather and the CBS news incident four years ago? You think they were trying to be completely honest with the people? I’m not a registered Libertarian but I sure tend to lean that way these days. I’m a huge fan of Neil B. (shhhhh, don’t tell anybody) and his fair tax plan. Just remember, the people in this country Can change things anytime they want.

Happiness is a way of being, not something you look for. Like being spiritual is a way of being, not a level of subservience to a belief system. ACTION!! I am Agnostic, joyfully lacking in knowledge. Otherwise I might know it all and then get my feelings hurt when someone knows more. hehe The lack of knowledge is itself motivation to gain it.

I understand we can’t sustain the perspective the founders had, but the intention is what matters.People put to much stock in language. Language is only representational. The court system is not about truth and falsity. It is about who can manipulate the language best. Society tends to determine right and wrong from whats legal and illegal. VERY DANGEROUS.

The intention I speak of is timeless and permeates convention. People are be born free, to live as they see fit for themselves. The responsibility of government is to protect and secure that freedom, life and property. Rights are beyond the law, period. This painfully changed with the 14th amendment. Man makes law, man is flawed. Thus laws change and can be corrupt. When harm arises, no matter what the target has done or who they are, the fourth amendment says a piece of paper must come between us and them first. This is so the intention can continue.

An incompetent congress likes to violate the intention of the preamble by amending the constitution for the sake of congress itself. (16th Amendment) That is legal fallacy. They like to restructure policy and misuse the “general welfare” clause (Patriot Act).

Anyway, you get the idea of where I stand. Think about government being like fire. It is very useful. Fire keeps us warm, it lights up the darkness and it cooks our food. We need fire. However, there is a special place for fire, a fireplace. If the fire escapes it gets stomped out. The Constitution is the fireplace. When government escapes it, it must be stomped out.

Bill Horner III

I'm the publisher of The Sanford Herald. A native of Sanford, I did most of my growing up in Blue Rapids, Kansas, a small (pop. 1,298) town along the Big Blue River (OK, so it was brown) in the northeast part of the state. I graduated in 1985 from the University of Kansas' William Allen White School of Journalism and became publisher of The Herald in 1998. My wife, Lee Ann, and I have three children. For more about me, click on "About." To contact me: send e-mail to bhorner3@sanfordherald.com

The views expressed on this blog are mine and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Sanford Herald or Paxton Media Group.